


today's another day to find you

by daffodil_blue



Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany)
Genre: (mostly relating to mama florenzi), Canon Compliant, David POV, Established Relationship, Fluff, LOTS OF FLUFF with a small side of angst, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Mental Health Issues, and a fully accurate representation of my childhood relationship with tiramisu, david's parents are mentioned a few times, matteo is very lovely and david loves him and his mama loves him and EVERYONE LOVES HIM, some religious references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 07:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20206327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daffodil_blue/pseuds/daffodil_blue
Summary: Ms Florenzi had a nice smile, the kind of smile that made David think he had been right to feel more excited than nervous. There was something kind of thrilling in meeting the person who was, theoretically, the most Matteo-y person on earth after Matteo himself.another "david meets mama florenzi" fic because we really were ROBBED





	today's another day to find you

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is almost entirely the product of a delayed flight from norway to london a few days ago which left me nothing to do but bash out several k of meet-the-parents fic from absolutely nowhere, totally unplanned, totally unprompted. so, basically, you can thank the shitty british weather for this. 
> 
> i do have personal experience of the effects of mental health issues on family relationships, although nothing quite the same as mama florenzi and matteo, so i combined my impression of mama florenzi from the hints we've got all the way through druck with my own interpretation of her character. my basic conclusion is that she is adorable and i love her.
> 
> big shout out to the lovely folks of the dod for all their encouragement and suggestions! and apologies if i've messed up with the german (or italian) references at any point. german is CONFUSING, okay?
> 
> also, yes, the title of this fic is from "take on me". i personally think matteo would approve. if you've never heard the weezer cover of "take on me", forget about this fic, LOOK IT UP RIGHT NOW. you will thank me later (after you've come back and read this, obviously).
> 
> ENJOY

He didn't want to be nervous. And actually, he didn't even think he really _ was _ that nervous. If anything, Matteo was dealing with all of the nerves for both of them.

David stood slightly behind him on the step, waiting as Matteo buzzed the intercom for the third floor flat. 

"Hey, Mama. We're here."

Matteo had visited his mama several times in the time they'd been together, but this was the first time David had accompanied him, and he knew this made it somewhat more of a big deal. Matteo let out a deep breath and aimed a lopsided smile over his shoulder at David before he started to climb the stairs up. 

Just before they reached the top Matteo halted. 

"You okay?" David asked. 

"Are _ you _ okay?" 

"Very okay."

"That's okay then." 

David laughed and brushed his knuckles over Matteo's cheek. "Okay."

"Okay." 

Matteo went up the last few steps and knocked on the door. He still looked a bit nervous - excited, definitely, but nervous too - so David gave him the particularly soft smile that he saved especially for Matteo. It was difficult, when worlds collided. He knew that. 

The door opened. "Matteo! Come here." 

David watched Matteo sink into his mama's hug. There was a slight twinge in his stomach; it had been a long time since he'd had a hug from his own mother like that. But it had also been a while since he saw Matteo look quite like he did now, quite so _ relieved _ to be with someone, so the overwhelming emotion he felt was happiness. Usually it was _him_ who gave Matteo the cuddles he needed - and Matteo truly was a cuddle addict - so, other than the occasional hug from Jonas, it was rare that he got to see Matteo receiving affection from someone else. And as weird as it sounded, he loved watching every time it happened, because Matteo _ needed _ the affection, needed the warmth, _ deserved all the love in the world_. While it was David's favourite thing ever to be the one to give that to him, it was also nice to see it from a distance. 

Ms Florenzi let her son go, so David stepped forward. 

"You must be David."

"It's lovely to meet you." 

"You too!" 

He shook her hand, which he'd decided in advance would be the best balance between friendliness and respect. His basic plan for the evening was to charm the hell out of her as much as he possibly could. 

Ms Florenzi had a nice smile, the kind of smile that made David think he had been right to feel more excited than nervous. There was something kind of thrilling in meeting the person who was, theoretically, the most Matteo-y person on earth after Matteo himself. 

They did an awkward shuffle over the threshold and Matteo took his shoes off, so David did too. They were in a dark hallway, with a door on one side leading to the sitting room, and another revealing a tiny kitchen. He followed Matteo into the sitting room. It was half taken up by a blue squashy sofa, with an IKEA coffee table squeezed in next to it. There were a few plants on the windowsill, a framed bible quote - he couldn't make out which one - and another framed photograph that was mostly hidden by the curtain. Books and magazines were scattered everywhere. The walls were a cheerful yellow colour that actually worked, somehow. It was all a bit of a mess, but David liked it immediately. 

"Do you want a drink? Tea? Coffee?" 

"Just water, please," David said. 

"I'll have coffee."

"Okay," Ms Florenzi smiled, then frowned. "I'm not sure if I remembered to buy milk or not. I only ever have herbal teas."

"That's okay," Matteo said. "I'll come help you."

He turned back to the door, then hovered, looking back at David. "Sorry, I'll be back soon. You can sit down if you want." 

"Okay," he replied, giving his most reassuring smile. On impulse he blew Matteo an over-the-top kiss across the room, which made him grin and roll his eyes. 

David sank into a corner of the sofa, then his eyes caught again on the photo on the windowsill. He had a feeling it might be a kid picture of Matteo, in which case he had _ no choice whatsoever _ but to look at it. 

He got up and inched around the coffee table, then carefully pulled aside the lace curtain that had caught on the frame. 

It _ was _ a kid picture of Matteo. 

David smiled at it way too hard, but he couldn't help it. Matteo was probably about ten or eleven in the photo, smiling a big cheesy grin with bug eyes - exactly the same ridiculous cheesy grin he still pulled in photos, actually - and his hair was a total mess, way too long, fringe totally out of control. His t-shirt was a baggy bright green monstrosity with a picture of Mario and Luigi high-fiving on it. The whole thing was just _ so _ unfairly adorable - partly because the Matteo in the picture was so cute and happy and carefree, but mostly because he was so _ Matteo_. Even now, in spite of all the hard things he'd faced and the sadness that lived in him, there was still a glorious childlike innocence in Matteo, a sweet silliness that David swore to himself he would always protect. Little goofy ten-year-old Matteo and big beautiful eighteen-year-old Matteo were very much still the same person. 

He smiled once more at the photo, then put it back in its place and sat down on the sofa again. Matteo appeared at the door with a glass of water that he put in front of David on the coffee table. 

"Thanks."

Matteo disappeared again then reappeared with two mugs. Ms Florenzi was right behind him. 

"Where do you want this, Mama?" Matteo lifted one of the mugs. 

She glanced around then said, "Pop it down over there. I'll get another chair." 

Matteo found a couple of coasters and set down the drinks, then sat beside David on the sofa, close enough that their knees could easily knock together but without being as clingy as Matteo sometimes could be when he found a sofa to share _ ("sofas are just _ made _ for cuddling, David"). _

Ms Florenzi returned with a chair from the kitchen and set it down so she could see them both. "It's really great to finally meet you, David," she said.

"You too, ma'am." 

"Have you just finished your Abi too, then? What do you want to do now?" 

David launched into a discussion about film school and how he was just starting his application. He hesitated every so often, scared of saying too much or speaking for too long, but Ms Florenzi smiled and found questions to ask whenever he paused, and they made the whole thing work. Matteo was quiet at first, occasionally sipping his coffee - black, but knowing Matteo he probably genuinely didn't mind - but he gradually relaxed. David only realised a while into the conversation that Ms Florenzi was actually the most nervous of them all, just better at hiding it. But her smiles were genuine, her words were kind, and they all seemed to be aware that even if they didn't have everything sorted yet, at the very least they had nothing to fear from each other. 

Eventually David found himself bringing up the road trip, at which point Ms Florenzi laughed. 

"Matteo sent me a picture of the two of you off in middle-of-nowhere France. It looked really lovely." 

"It was," David said. He gave Matteo another soft look.

"Apart from the sleeping-on-a-bench bit," Matteo added, then grinned at the look on his mother's face. 

David let Matteo tell the story, taking the opportunity to sit and admire his boyfriend. He couldn't really believe he'd made it this far - _ he'd made it to the meet-the-parents bit_. He'd never imagined he'd be in a relationship at all, not this year, not _ yet_, not with his secret out in the open, not with someone who truly _ saw _ him. 

He couldn't believe he'd tried to run from this. 

Eventually Ms Florenzi got up and announced that she was going to start dinner. 

"Is lasagne okay for you, David? I'm afraid it's just a ready meal." He recognised the shadow of what he called Matteo's _ nervous face _ in her expression. 

"That's fine! It sounds great." He smiled at her. 

"Another time I would have offered you something better, but I'm just a bit tired today." 

He smiled again, trying for as much reassurance as he could. "It's really okay. I'm terrible at cooking, I would live on ready meals 24/7 if it wasn't for my sister. And Matteo's pasta." 

She laughed quietly. "Oh yes. Pasta alla Luigi. I'd forgotten how much he loved cooking that. At one point it was the only thing I ate." 

There was a short silence. Matteo stared at his knee. 

"Do you want some help, Mama? With the lasagne?" he eventually asked. 

"I think I'll be okay. Thank you, mein liebling." She looked a little sad, but then she got up and kissed Matteo's forehead on her way out, giving him a smile that clearly said something only Matteo understood. 

The two of them were left in another silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, just an unfamiliar one. 

Matteo was the one to break it. 

"I'm sorry if…" he trailed off. 

"If what?" 

"Well." Matteo stared at his knee again and picked at a loose thread, more and more insistently, until David reached over and took his hand instead, smoothing his thumb over the back of it. 

Matteo tried again. "Just, I know I warned you that she sometimes needs help with things, and that she's sometimes too tired to do certain things, and everything else. But I just wanted to make sure you're really okay with all of this. I'm not used to other people seeing it." 

David couldn't help it: he gently pulled Matteo down until he was snuggled into his side, and pressed a kiss into his hair. "I'm having such an amazing time, I promise. Your mama is really lovely. Now I know where you get it from." 

Matteo snorted, but he snuggled closer into David's shoulder to hide his face when he answered. "Well. I guess it's not from my dad." 

David had no answer for that, so he just hummed and kissed Matteo's head again. "I really love you," he whispered, because he could, and because he did, and because he wanted to. 

Matteo smiled into his shoulder. David understood. 

* * *

When they went into the kitchen for dinner, Matteo gave his mother the kind of sweet smile that made David's heart ache. 

Ms Florenzi had put down the ready meal lasagne in the centre of a little round table in the corner, along with a couple of plates. Matteo opened up the fridge, checked the use-by on a packet of salad leaves, then added it to the table set-up. 

"Do you want any more water, David?" he asked. 

"Yes please." 

Matteo opened up the cupboards until he found some glasses, then filled up three of them with water and brought them over to the table. 

"Sorry," Ms Florenzi said. "I should have remembered that."

"It's okay, Mama." 

Matteo picked up the spoon that had been set down next to the lasagne and made as though to scoop some onto David's plate when his mother stopped him. 

"Wait, Matteo, we haven't said grace yet."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." 

Ms Florenzi reached out for Matteo's hand and he took it as if by habit. Her other hand reached towards David, so he carefully took it, not sure if he was doing the right thing. She closed her eyes and smiled. 

Matteo caught his eye. _ Sorry_, he mouthed. 

David smiled and took Matteo's other hand. 

Matteo looked a bit conflicted for a moment as his mama started saying grace, so David squeezed his hand. Matteo closed his eyes and joined her _ Amen_. When he opened them again he looked a bit nervous, so David squeezed his hand one more time before letting go. 

Matteo picked up the spoon again and dished out the lasagne. There was a slight pause as they started eating, then Matteo looked over at his mother. 

"How are _ you_, Mama? We've talked a lot about us, but not about you." 

Ms Florenzi shook her head good-naturedly. "I don't have any exciting roadtrip adventures to share. But I'm doing well, mein liebling. The medicine, and my appointments, and the choir, it's all really helping." 

Matteo smiled. "That's good." 

"Did I tell you about the couple that moved in below me? They're so lovely! Marie is training to be a chef, and they're always inviting me over to try all these amazing dinners. And her partner, Pam, comes to church with me sometimes. She said she'd love to join the choir, but she doesn't have the time right now." 

Ms Florenzi was trying for casual, but it was about as subtle as Matteo had been when they'd first met. 

Matteo fidgeted, staring at his plate. "Oh."

"I think they're hoping to get married soon. I'm really happy that they can now." 

"Mmm." Matteo took a sip of his drink. David focused on his lasagne. 

There was a pause. Then a single sniff. David and Ms Florenzi both looked up at exactly the same moment. Matteo stared ever more determinedly at his plate and wiped his cheek. 

"Shit. Sorry. I said I wouldn't cry today." Matteo gave a strangled laugh, and that was _ it _ for both David and Ms Florenzi, only a mother's reflexes are faster than a PE student's, apparently, because it was her who reached Matteo first. 

"Oh. Mein liebchen," she whispered, and Matteo buried his face in her shoulder. 

"I'm really happy, Mama."

"I'm glad." 

David felt that tug in his gut again, because _ this _ was a scene that was so familiar, and yet so _ unfamiliar_. This was the scene David _ should _ have got, but he didn't. But watching Matteo right now, happy because he was loved, made it that little bit closer to okay again. 

"You know I'll always love you, my sunshine boy," Ms Florenzi whispered, and there was another tug in his stomach, but it was a good one, he thought. 

Ms Florenzi kissed Matteo's head once more then let him go. Matteo looked over at David, grinned into his shoulder, then took his hand and squeezed it, letting their joined hands rest on the table.

When David met Ms Florenzi's gaze she was smiling at him. They continued dinner, talking about their friends, Jonas' party, the Abistreich. 

“Jonas wrote a song for the Abistreich, Mama. You’d have loved it.” Matteo looked at David and grinned around his mouthful of lasagne. “Mama was always Jonas’ biggest fan.”

“You and Jonas are still friends, aren’t you? I haven’t seen him in months.” 

“Of course, Mama.” Matteo paused. “I’m sure he’d love to come visit you soon, maybe.” 

“That would be nice.” Ms Florenzi scooped some more salad onto her plate, smiling. 

They’d almost finished eating when the question came. 

"Has Matteo met your parents, David?" 

Matteo's head shot straight up from his plate. David bit his lip and fixed his gaze on the salad pot. "Um." 

There was a silence. He felt Matteo's other hand join the first where it rested on his arm, clinging to his sleeve as if his life depended on it. 

"They don't deal well with the fact that I'm trans," David finally said in a quiet voice. 

There was a long moment of silence.

"Is… When you say trans, do you mean _ transsexual?" _

"Transgender, Mama. Transgender is a better word." 

"Oh." 

David chanced a glance up at Ms Florenzi. She looked very surprised. 

"I don't think I've ever met a transgender person before." 

He gave her a cautious smile. She smiled back. 

"I'm really sorry your parents don't accept you, David. They should."

Matteo's grip on his arm got even stronger. 

"I'm really glad I'm meeting you, David,” Ms Florenzi said after a pause. “You seem like a very lovely boy. You make my son really, really happy."

He smiled then, properly. "Thank you, Ms Florenzi." 

She took his hand. "You can call me Mama if you want. Jonas always did."

"You know David is my boyfriend, right? Not just my friend." 

"Surely that's all the more reason, mein liebchen?" 

Matteo shrugged and gave an awkward kind of laugh. 

David was really grinning now. Normally he felt like it would be awkward to start calling someone Mama when he'd just met them. But he could tell it was somehow important to her - something she really wanted. 

"Okay, Mama Florenzi," he said, and he smiled. 

* * *

When they finished the lasagne, Mama Florenzi went to the fridge with the air of a magician about to pull off their next surprise. She looked excitedly at Matteo. 

"I bought dessert!" 

She set down a tiramisu in the middle of the table and smiled widely. Matteo looked up at her and beamed, which was _ way _ too adorable. "Wow, Mama, thank you!" 

"Tiramisu was always his favourite, even when he was a little kid. We used to get these amazing homemade ones whenever we visited Italy, and he was obsessed with them. Everyone used to tease him and say he'd grow up to be an alcoholic.There _ was _ a lot of liquor in them." 

Matteo rolled his eyes. 

Mama Florenzi dished out the tiramisu. 

"Did you go to Italy a lot?" David asked. 

"Every summer," Mama Florenzi said. "I do miss it. The Italian side of Matteo is all from his papa." 

"I miss Italy too," Matteo said. He paused, then added, "But I don't miss the sunburn."

David laughed. "You were bad enough in Holland."

"It's not my fault. I _ am _ 50 percent Italian. My skin just missed the memo." 

David shook his head fondly. "How good is your Italian, then? You always get weirdly shy about it, you still haven't given me a proper demonstration." 

Matteo huffed, then sat up to his fullest height, a serious expression on his face. 

"Sei molto seccante, signor Schreibner. Non so perché ti amo." 

Mama Florenzi laughed, and his heart jumped a little, because it was _ Matteo's _ laugh. 

David turned to her, eyebrows raised. 

"He said--" 

"No, Mama!" 

"He _ did _ say he loved you."

He twitched his eyebrows even higher. "But?" 

"But he also said you're annoying so he doesn't know why." 

He turned his raised eyebrows to Matteo. "Oh yeah?" 

"Yeah!" 

They squared off, silly stubborn face versus silly stubborn face. 

Eventually David couldn't help it. He cracked. He grabbed Matteo by the shoulder and pulled him into a (gentle) headlock, showering his head with kisses. 

"Mama! Help me! I'm being attacked!" 

"Attacked with _ love_, signor Florenzi."

Mama Florenzi just looked on and laughed, laughed and laughed and laughed, and it was such a lovely sound. 

"Oh, you boys. I haven't laughed like that in a long time." 

Matteo giggled softly into his shoulder. He relaxed the headlock, but Matteo stayed snuggled there anyway. 

After a while, Mama Florenzi broke the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. "I hope I'll get to see you again soon, David. I hope today was good enough." 

"It was more than good enough, Ms Florenzi. Mama Florenzi. Thank you." He tried to make his voice sound as sincere as he felt. 

"You did great, Mama." 

She smiled a little sadly. "I'm sorry I can't care for you the way a mama should." 

Matteo shrugged a little helplessly. "But you've always cared _ about _ me, Mama. That's the important thing."

It was true, David thought. There were some parents who knew how to look after you. And there were some parents who loved you unconditionally. In an ideal world, he and Matteo would have both. But they could make do. There was enough love around that tiny breakfast table for them to make do. 

"You're very lucky, David," Mama Florenzi said. "You're dating the sweetest boy in the world." 

Matteo looked very embarrassed. David snuggled him into his side again. "I think so too." 

"_David _ is the sweetest boy in the world, Mama. Seriously." 

David kissed his head again. 

"Well then, between you and David and Jonas, I have enough sweet boys to last me a lifetime." 

They sat quietly together. This was, David thought, everything he could want. Everything. Right here. 

"I love you, Mama."

"Love you too, mein liebchen."

They could make do. It was enough. 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on [tumblr](https://thefellowshipofthedragonmark.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/anybodytolove), usually crying over matteo or crushing on amira.
> 
> really hope you enjoyed! xx


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